January 18, 2008

The guys over at This Old House are gearing up for their big reader-generated issue, due out in June of this year. One of the cool things that they're doing for it is a section called, "What's in Your Toolbox." Here, they are inviting readers (you) to go to their website and submit a picture and a little paragraph of your favorite tool. It can be your most used one, the one you just like the best, or even that freaky one that your grandfather made and then passed down to you. If you're looking for inspiration, you should check out some recent postings at The Hardware Aisle, like this one and this one.

We're not sure what we would choose. Probably our old Panasonic drill that we finally put in the trash about a week ago (what a way to treat an old friend). Both batteries were dead and something inside was rattling, but while it was alive, that drill couldn't have been any more dependable.

January 15, 2008

It looks like Craftsman is trying to clear out the warehouse and there are some great deals to be had because of it.

Free 3D Sander with any tool purchase of over $49 - The sander is valued at $35 (although it's currently selling for $10). This is an online only offer.

10% off all air tools

Craftsman Closeout Sale - Looks like there's some good stuff here, particularly with regards to tool chests and storage units. For example, their 10-Drawer Storage Combo is now $260 (a savings of $150).

January 3, 2008

Right now, Amazon's got a few good deals in the works, so when you exchange all the junk that your family got you for Christmas, you should think about these sales.

The Big Tool Event - This is a sale on a general selection to tools, accessories, storage items, and a bunch of other categories. We checked it out and it's a pretty good selection, even if some of the items aren't the most up-to-date. For example, the Bosch table saw featured is last year's model, the one with the old blade guard. It's still a great saw, just not the most recent one. Browse the sale here.

Up to 40% Off Flashlights - You can always use another flashlight. One by the bed, one by the front door, one in the glove box, one in the kitchen junk drawer, one in the basement, and pretty much one in every other room in the house. And if you're shopping around for a multi-purpose flashlight, we highly recommend checking out Stanley's new Tripod Flashlight. More info on the flashlight sale here.

10% Off Freud Tools - Great bits and great blades. This is one of those deals where you have to enter the code in at checkout, so make sure you do it right. We've done it wrong and it's a real pain in the ass to get it straightened out. Browse the tools here

Tool King is offering a few really good DeWalt deals.

Get a free cordless tool with the purchase of a 4-piece DeWalt combo kit. Or, if you're in the market for a 5, 6, or 9-piece kit, you'll walk away with two free tools. Details here.

Get $40 cash back with the purchase of select DeWalt routers. Details here.

Internet deals come and go like the wind, so these might be inactive by the time you read this. Just make sure that you know what you're buying and how much you're buying it for.

November 27, 2007

Appliance Parts Pros is running a cool contest that gives you the opportunity to not only win a new iphone, but to also contribute to care packages going overseas to our troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Each entry adds additional items to the care packages; items such as calling cards, magazines, snacks, and hygiene products, stuff that we take for granted.

Details about the contest are here and info about the care packages is here.

November 26, 2007

For the remainder of the holiday season Bosch has a couple of really nice promotions. One, in particular, when combined with Amazon's current promotions, translates into freaky savings...

Free Bosch PR10E Colt Single-Speed Palm-Grip Router with the purchase of a Bosch 5412L 12-Inch Dual Bevel Slide Miter Saw with Laser Tracking - We've extensively used both of these tools and can vouch for their greatness. The miter saw is accurate and has all the controls up front and the Colt has both power and maneuverability in a small package. The Dual Bevel Miter Saw costs $589 at Amazon, which puts you over the $500 mark for a Bosch tool purchase, meaning that, in addition to the $100 Colt Router, you'll also get a Bosch PS20-2 Litheon 10.8-Volt Lithium-Ion Pocket Driver for free ($115 value). Not to mention that Amazon is also taking $50 off the price of the miter saw. So that's a palm router and a pocket driver free with the miter saw, which has a $50 instant rebate. And if that's not enough, Amazon is also offering 20% off any accessory for the miter saw, this includes things like stands and digital protractors (scroll down on this page for a list of available accessories). Please note that the Palm Router deal is a mail-in rebate available directly through Bosch, while the other offers are through Amazon and may require you to add in rebate codes during checkout. We've had some trouble with Amazon promotions before, so make sure that you dot all the i's and cross all the t's before completing your order. Details of the Bosch promotion here.

November 13, 2007

Irwin is giving away a set of their new Parallel Jaw Quick Clamps and if you want to get into the running, you just have to go to their site and fill out a quick form. The clamps have a big 3-3/4" jaw depth which can exert 1150 lbs of pressure on the work piece.

Irwin is accepting entries until December 14th and you can keep entering every day until then to increase your chances. The random drawing to determine the winner will be on December 17th.

November 7, 2007

Home Depot has just started a contest that's perfect for all of you who enjoy putting yourself on camera. To enter, just video yourself talking about what you would do with the $25,000 grand prize and post it up on youtube.com.

Videos can be submitted from November 10th (this Saturday) until December 15th. A winner will be announced on December 17th. Your insane spending spree starts moments later.

Submissions will be judged on creativity, originality, and number of viewers. Official rules can be accessed here.

October 30, 2007

The guys at Northern Tool are giving away a Milwaukee V18 Li-Ion 4-Piece Combo Kit and all you have to do to get in the running for it is to rate a product on their site. It looks like a simple three step process; find an item you know about, create an account (it only takes a sec, we've done it), and then rate the product.

The combo kit comes with a circular saw, a hammer drill/driver, a work light, and a reciprocating saw. It's got a value of about $600. If you're not lucky enough to get the combo kit, you could still walk away with one of five $50 gift certificates to Northern Tool.

The best part about the contest is that it started yesterday (Oct. 29th) and it ends Friday (Nov. 2nd), so there's not a whole lot of time for people to hear about it and enter. That translates into higher chances of you hitting the jackpot.

jeff_williams: What a beauty! read moreDan: Bear Grylls? That's funny - he spends his nights in read moreBJ Nicholls: If you're not set on battery power, Costco has been read moreGary Castens : Ok the iron I have is about 30 years old read moreKevin: yeah Doug, we're both New Englanders, I'm bout 3 hours read more